Title: Fences Author: August Wilson Date of Publication: 1985 Literary Period: Contemporary Genre: Drama Describe the setting and then explain the relevance of the setting.
A town like Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1957, which ties in to race relations of the time. Specifically, the Maxson household is falling apart just like the family. Their roof needs to be replaced, and this problem is discussed in on of the arguments between Troy and Cory.
Themes (These statements should be complete sentences and completely developed ideas)
The efforts of the community can redeem someone who could not redeem themselves, which is shown by Cory returning to his father's funeral and Gabe's efforts to redeem his brother.
Despite moral failure and sin, the connection to a community and a discovery of voice in oppressed people leads to the necessary salvation for the most inhibited of individuals.
No matter how many fences you put up, you can't protect the people you love by locking them inside because they will find a way out and death will find a way in.
Plot Summary (Please do not copy and paste. Simply list the high points of the novel) - Consider creating a visual flow chart or graph and posting it here. (Beginning, Middle, End)
Act 1
Scene 1 - Establishes that Troy and Bono are garbage collectors. Troy wants the black garbage collectors to get to drive, and he also flirts with Alberta. Troy is a drinker. Troy was a baseball player, and his first son, Lyons, is a musician that still asks him for money despite being 34.
Scene 2 - Establishes Gabriel as Troy's brain-damaged brother, who suffered a head injury during WW2 and Troy feels bad about using the government compensation money to buy the house that the family lives in although Gabe moved out.
Scene 3 - Establishes that Troy wants Cory to stop putting all of his time into football instead of working and spending his time with family.
Scene 4 - Establishes Troy and Bono's relationships with their respective fathers. Bono's father is a wanderer while Troy's father hops in to take Troy's place in a unfortunate relationship. Troy goes behind Cory's back and tells the coach that Cory can no longer play football. Troy also does not want to accept Lyon's return of the borrowed money because it is payday.
Act 2
Scene 1 - Troy admits that he is having an affair with Alberta and will have a child with her. He also makes a deal with Bono that he will finish the fence while Bono must buy a new refrigerator. Rose points out that she is standing with Troy and has a life too.
Scene 2 - Troy finds out that Alberta died in childbirth. He challenges death at the end.
Scene 3 - Rose tells Troy that now Raynell has a mother, but, he is a womanless man.
Scene 4 - 2 months later, Troy and Bono have grown apart, and Bono does not want to follow him anymore, despite having learned a lot from him. Cory strikes out during a fight with a baseball bat, and he goes to join the military, with his stuff waiting for him on the other side of the fence.
Scene 5 - 1965, Troy has died, everyone comes back together, Raynell is growing up, Blue unites them, and Gabe leads Troy into heaven.
Memorable Quotes and their SIGNIFICANCE.
That's all death is to me. A fastball on the outside corner. - Troy looks at everything as a baseball metaphor, which shows how much the sport meant to him (and how upset he was that he never went pro)
That was strike one, don't strike out. - baseball metaphor by Troy
Try to blast a hole into forever. - Sounds bleak and desperate although he talks his sex life up to others.
I had a dog, his name was Blue. - It never comes when it is called, becoming a symbol for love, because it will not come when pursued and will come when unexpected.
Atavistic - the dance represents Gabe's communal belonging, which connects him to the African American community
you can't visit the sins of the father upon the child - Rose does not want the past to repeat itself. She does not want to give by halves. She wants the whole. The sins are selfishness and pride that lead to destruction.
you've got to crookeds with the straights - baseball metaphor
I planted myself inside you and waited to bloom - Rose believed in Troy. A pun that shows how her life was interwoven with his.
Describe the significance of the opening scene.
3 stories:
1) Someone hides a watermelon under the clothes - Troy does not have time for that kind of person; judgemental, no-nonsense
2) Troy wants to change the policy of only white people driving the garbage truck - He is a troublemaker/rabble-rouser, and he is not afraid to stir things up. It is later mentioned that he does not even have a driver's license.
3) Bono notices that Troy flirts with Alberta - Leads in to Troy being a past womanizer who has been more well-behaved since he met Rose.
Describe the significance of the closing scene.
The last scene occurs largely in stage action. The last said line is "You get ready now" by Gabe. Gabe's hallucination has become a moral responsibility to get Troy into heaven. The trumpet furthers his hallucination, but its inability to produce sound while missing a mouthpiece traumatizes Gabe, because it shows his powerlessness to personally guide Troy into heaven. The atavistic ritual dance, on the other hand, is life-giving and succeeds. The primal nature of the dance connects it with the African American communal connection, which is stronger than his individual hallucination. He taps into the greater power through the dance, which acts as a game-changer, although it throws of Lyons, who sees the dance as an expression of pain at first. Gabe, however, does not want to be comforted even if he is in pain, because comfort controls the emotion, and he wants to express it fully. Gabe makes a desperate sound, which is a mix of a howl, speech, and song. He wants for Troy to have access to redemption despite his shortcomings in life, and this succeeds.
The film version gives the trumpet a mouthpiece, which combines the dance and trumpet into one symbol. It also shows Gabe's success using the ringing of the trumpet with an angel in the clouds.
Describe the author's style and provide examples from the text.
August Wilson uses music in his work, such as the Blue song. He also uses story-telling, which is mostly done by Troy.
List importance characters and their significance.
Troy - Like to tell stories that are frequently lies. He takes on the responsibilities of a father, but only because he feels a strong sense of responsibility.
Bono - Troy has known him since they were in prison together. He believes in Troy and his decisions.
Rose - Troy's wife, who is dependable and tied her fate to her husband's.
Lyons - "king of the jungle," Troy's son by first marriage. Despite being almost middle-aged, he still borrows money from Troy, who does not believe he will ever return the money. He lives the life of a musician.
Cory - Troy and Rose's son who wants to play football instead of work.
Gabe - Troy's brother, about seven years younger, injured in WW2, believes he is the Archangel Gabriel, has a metal plate in his head, carries around a trumpet and fruits that he supposedly sells.
List important symbols from the work and their significance
Blue - the dog is chased off when you try to get her to come, like love being forced, but when you stopped calling to her, she came back, like love or faith being unexpected. The song about Blue is eventually embraced after they make fun of it because it unifies them as a shared experience.
Fences - boundary between the garden and the outside world, but also a boundary between the family and outsiders, showing their unity when they are all within.
Trumpet - without a mouthpiece, represents the struggle that Gabe has to express himself and his wish. It also deepens his hallucination of his responsibility for his brother's salvation.
Baseball - symbol of the American dream and the default of the American dream for Troy.
Gardens - planting Rose inside Troy, Raynell waits for her garden to bloom. The garden is a symbol of hope and promise from decade to decade.
Back yard - tries to unify the family by fencing them in.
Author: August Wilson
Date of Publication: 1985
Literary Period: Contemporary
Genre: Drama
Describe the setting and then explain the relevance of the setting.
A town like Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1957, which ties in to race relations of the time. Specifically, the Maxson household is falling apart just like the family. Their roof needs to be replaced, and this problem is discussed in on of the arguments between Troy and Cory.
Themes (These statements should be complete sentences and completely developed ideas)
The efforts of the community can redeem someone who could not redeem themselves, which is shown by Cory returning to his father's funeral and Gabe's efforts to redeem his brother.
Despite moral failure and sin, the connection to a community and a discovery of voice in oppressed people leads to the necessary salvation for the most inhibited of individuals.
No matter how many fences you put up, you can't protect the people you love by locking them inside because they will find a way out and death will find a way in.
Plot Summary (Please do not copy and paste. Simply list the high points of the novel) - Consider creating a visual flow chart or graph and posting it here. (Beginning, Middle, End)
Act 1
Scene 1 - Establishes that Troy and Bono are garbage collectors. Troy wants the black garbage collectors to get to drive, and he also flirts with Alberta. Troy is a drinker. Troy was a baseball player, and his first son, Lyons, is a musician that still asks him for money despite being 34.Scene 2 - Establishes Gabriel as Troy's brain-damaged brother, who suffered a head injury during WW2 and Troy feels bad about using the government compensation money to buy the house that the family lives in although Gabe moved out.
Scene 3 - Establishes that Troy wants Cory to stop putting all of his time into football instead of working and spending his time with family.
Scene 4 - Establishes Troy and Bono's relationships with their respective fathers. Bono's father is a wanderer while Troy's father hops in to take Troy's place in a unfortunate relationship. Troy goes behind Cory's back and tells the coach that Cory can no longer play football. Troy also does not want to accept Lyon's return of the borrowed money because it is payday.
Act 2
Scene 1 - Troy admits that he is having an affair with Alberta and will have a child with her. He also makes a deal with Bono that he will finish the fence while Bono must buy a new refrigerator. Rose points out that she is standing with Troy and has a life too.Scene 2 - Troy finds out that Alberta died in childbirth. He challenges death at the end.
Scene 3 - Rose tells Troy that now Raynell has a mother, but, he is a womanless man.
Scene 4 - 2 months later, Troy and Bono have grown apart, and Bono does not want to follow him anymore, despite having learned a lot from him. Cory strikes out during a fight with a baseball bat, and he goes to join the military, with his stuff waiting for him on the other side of the fence.
Scene 5 - 1965, Troy has died, everyone comes back together, Raynell is growing up, Blue unites them, and Gabe leads Troy into heaven.
Memorable Quotes and their SIGNIFICANCE.
That's all death is to me. A fastball on the outside corner. - Troy looks at everything as a baseball metaphor, which shows how much the sport meant to him (and how upset he was that he never went pro)
That was strike one, don't strike out. - baseball metaphor by Troy
Try to blast a hole into forever. - Sounds bleak and desperate although he talks his sex life up to others.
I had a dog, his name was Blue. - It never comes when it is called, becoming a symbol for love, because it will not come when pursued and will come when unexpected.
Atavistic - the dance represents Gabe's communal belonging, which connects him to the African American community
you can't visit the sins of the father upon the child - Rose does not want the past to repeat itself. She does not want to give by halves. She wants the whole. The sins are selfishness and pride that lead to destruction.
you've got to crookeds with the straights - baseball metaphor
I planted myself inside you and waited to bloom - Rose believed in Troy. A pun that shows how her life was interwoven with his.
Describe the significance of the opening scene.
3 stories:
1) Someone hides a watermelon under the clothes - Troy does not have time for that kind of person; judgemental, no-nonsense
2) Troy wants to change the policy of only white people driving the garbage truck - He is a troublemaker/rabble-rouser, and he is not afraid to stir things up. It is later mentioned that he does not even have a driver's license.
3) Bono notices that Troy flirts with Alberta - Leads in to Troy being a past womanizer who has been more well-behaved since he met Rose.
Describe the significance of the closing scene.
The last scene occurs largely in stage action. The last said line is "You get ready now" by Gabe. Gabe's hallucination has become a moral responsibility to get Troy into heaven. The trumpet furthers his hallucination, but its inability to produce sound while missing a mouthpiece traumatizes Gabe, because it shows his powerlessness to personally guide Troy into heaven. The atavistic ritual dance, on the other hand, is life-giving and succeeds. The primal nature of the dance connects it with the African American communal connection, which is stronger than his individual hallucination. He taps into the greater power through the dance, which acts as a game-changer, although it throws of Lyons, who sees the dance as an expression of pain at first. Gabe, however, does not want to be comforted even if he is in pain, because comfort controls the emotion, and he wants to express it fully. Gabe makes a desperate sound, which is a mix of a howl, speech, and song. He wants for Troy to have access to redemption despite his shortcomings in life, and this succeeds.
The film version gives the trumpet a mouthpiece, which combines the dance and trumpet into one symbol. It also shows Gabe's success using the ringing of the trumpet with an angel in the clouds.
Describe the author's style and provide examples from the text.
August Wilson uses music in his work, such as the Blue song. He also uses story-telling, which is mostly done by Troy.
List importance characters and their significance.
Troy - Like to tell stories that are frequently lies. He takes on the responsibilities of a father, but only because he feels a strong sense of responsibility.
Bono - Troy has known him since they were in prison together. He believes in Troy and his decisions.
Rose - Troy's wife, who is dependable and tied her fate to her husband's.
Lyons - "king of the jungle," Troy's son by first marriage. Despite being almost middle-aged, he still borrows money from Troy, who does not believe he will ever return the money. He lives the life of a musician.
Cory - Troy and Rose's son who wants to play football instead of work.
Gabe - Troy's brother, about seven years younger, injured in WW2, believes he is the Archangel Gabriel, has a metal plate in his head, carries around a trumpet and fruits that he supposedly sells.
List important symbols from the work and their significance
Blue - the dog is chased off when you try to get her to come, like love being forced, but when you stopped calling to her, she came back, like love or faith being unexpected. The song about Blue is eventually embraced after they make fun of it because it unifies them as a shared experience.
Fences - boundary between the garden and the outside world, but also a boundary between the family and outsiders, showing their unity when they are all within.
Trumpet - without a mouthpiece, represents the struggle that Gabe has to express himself and his wish. It also deepens his hallucination of his responsibility for his brother's salvation.
Baseball - symbol of the American dream and the default of the American dream for Troy.
Gardens - planting Rose inside Troy, Raynell waits for her garden to bloom. The garden is a symbol of hope and promise from decade to decade.
Back yard - tries to unify the family by fencing them in.